The latitude and longitude are those of the ship,
at 8^h 56^m a.m., being the time when the sun’s
altitude was taken for finding the apparent time.
At the beginning of the eclipse, the moon was in the
zenith, so that it was found most convenient to make
use of the sextants, and to make the observations
by the reflected image, which was brought down to
a convenient altitude. The same was done at the
end, except by Mr King, who observed with a night telescope.
Although the greatest difference between our several
observations is no more than fifty seconds, it, nevertheless,
appeared to me that two observers might differ more
than double that time, in both the beginning and end.
And, though the times are noted to seconds, no such
accuracy was pretended to. The odd seconds set
down above, arose by reducing the time, as given by
the watch, to apparent time.

I continued to stretch to the E.S.E., with the wind
at N.E. and N., without meeting with any thing worthy
of note, till seven o’clock in the evening of
the 29th, when we had a sudden and very heavy squall
of wind from the N. At this time we were under single
reefed topsails, courses, and stay-sails. Two
of the latter were blown to pieces, and it was with
difficulty that we saved the other sails. After
this squall, we observed several lights moving about
on board the Discovery, by which we concluded, that
something had given way; and, the next morning, we
saw that her main-top-mast had been lost. Both
wind and weather continued very unsettled till noon,
this day, when the latter cleared up, and the former
settled in the N.W. quarter. At this time, we
were in the latitude of 28 deg. 6’ S., and our
longitude was 198 deg. 23’ E. Here we saw some
pintado birds, being the first since we left the land.

On the 31st, at noon, Captain Clerke made a signal
to speak with me. By the return of the boat which
I sent on board his ship, he informed me, that the
head of the main-mast had been just discovered to be
sprung, in such a manner as to render the rigging of
another top-mast very dangerous; and that, therefore,
he must rig something lighter in its place. He
also informed me, that he had lost his main-top-gallant-yard,
and that he neither had another, nor a spar to make
one, on board. The Resolution’s sprit-sail
top-sail yard which I sent him, supplied this want.
The next day, he got up a jury top-mast, on which
he set a mizen-top-sail, and this enabled him to keep
way with the Resolution.